'Nevada's Festival City'
Feb 18, 2009 | 1026 views | 3 
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A new city logo, graphics and photos were presented Wednesday as part of a future marketing plan. The scheme received mixed reactions from city leaders.
The branding campaign, which city officials said is intended to market the Sparks regionally, would take three years to implement and could cost the city more than $980,000. That cost does not include a recommended $70,000 annual salary for an events recruiter. This cost estimate also assumes that all 28 aspects of the plan are carried out in their entirety, which may not be the case pending City Council approval.
According to Sparks City Councilman Ron Schmitt, who also sits on the city's tourism and marketing committee, the proposal will have to be approved by the council before work can begin in earnest.
"What (the council) needs to look at is what will our city look like five years from now," Schmitt said.
The branding campaign's vision painted a picture of Sparks as the city of festivals, using such tag lines as "There is always something going on in Sparks," "It's happening here" and "I'm in Sparks, where are you?"
According to Roger Brooks, who presented the branding plan on behalf of Destination Development, the idea builds on Sparks' event foundations.
"We want Sparks to be the place where you always go to celebrate, to have fun," Brooks told the crowd of about 100 people at the unveiling. "We want people to (think) that there is always something going on in Sparks."
Much of the branding plan would hinge on attracting festivals and events to Sparks to supplement existing events like Hot August Nights, the Rib Cook-Off and Farmer's Market, Brooks said.
According to Destination Development's report, Sparks can expect 60 event days in 2009. The branding plan recommends 200 event days.
The report continues by stating, "with 200 event days per year there is always something going on in Sparks. People throughout the region (should) always (be) asking, 'I wonder what is happening in Sparks.' "
In order to achieve this image, Brooks suggested changing the name of Victorian Square to Festival Place as well as renaming the Sparks Marina to Celebration Lake Park.
Other parts of the plan called for consolidation of the Reno and Sparks chambers of commerce along with hiring a full-time employee to bring events into the area.
When asked about the feasibility of hiring for the position, Sparks Mayor Geno Martini responded "right now, probably not."
"With laying off people it would not be feasible," Maritni said.
And while not entirely endorsing the plan itself, Martini voiced his approval of the direction that the city is going with the marketing plan.
"If we want to truly become a tourist destination we have to do something different than what we are doing," Martini said.
As for the festival-centered plan itself, Martini said, "Well, we are half way there anyway."
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Make no mistake, he's a master at how he does it. Here's Roger Brooks's tried-and-true formula for easily taking thousands of dollars from financially struggling small to medium-sized cities who are desperate for someone, anyone, to help bring tourists and investment to their area:
1). Travel to the client city, 2). Spend a few days in town, walk around and write down names of key attractions, shopping areas and recreational locations to be used in his final presentation, 3). Schedule and host one or more community assessment meetings over several months, 4). And then invite city leaders, local media and towns folk to a "boilerplate" final presentation at which he purposefully goes overboard glowing about all the great things for which they should be proud in their city (who could dislike a flatterer?).
After 30 years of dropping names and the numbers of his past clients (this is repeated numerous times during his presentations), his speech predictably includes the need for that city to have better signage and a logo while stressing the importance of being specific about the reason shoppers and visitors should spend their money there.
His "plans" are typically both ridiculously simplistic (taxpayers can always be expected to loudly voice their displeasure once they found out from local media how much money was spent on his "ideas") and so far-fetched and unrealistic to be laughable.
Finally, after telling them what they already know, Roger Brooks of Destination Development International will then take his huge check (anywhere from $7,000 to $165,000 depending on the city size and budget) and will fly back to Seattle, never to be heard from again....just like the "report" he leaves behind, full of blank pages to create a sense it's more substantial.
Here's a video showing one of his stereotypical phony dog-and-pony shows (look at his body language; the language of a con artist playing up to his audience before he asks them to open their wallets):
http://www.kalprod.com/webtest/
He just ripped off the City of Oxnard for $125,000 with his garbage! Here's a link to articles on that fiasco:
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jul/22/oxnard-shores-put-forth-for-citys-brand/
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jul/23/some-residents-reject-idea-of-renaming-oxnard/
Please, small city staffs, stop thinking there's a magic solution to getting commerce and visitors to your downtowns and regions. Throwing money at pie-in-the-sky "consultants" will just put you further behind, not ahead!
P.S. Want to see some hilarious "case studies" from Destination Development International? Visit the "case studies" section of their website at http://www.DestinationDevelopment.com.
With the economic situation getting worse daily the City of Sparks should have held an open competition offering a prize for LOCALS to come up with a slogan. For $100.00 prize I am willing to bet hundreds of slogans would have been sent in. We have a college with advertising student, maybe the prize could have been something to help with tuition. Instead of thinking fiscally responsible our hard earned tax dollars were given to a firm in Seattle. This is disgraceful.
Spend the $980,000 plus over the next several years in bringing more festivals to our Rail City.